On Tuesday, the state’s highest court said Coakley was wrong to try to block a casino repeal question from the ballot. The court unanimously rejected her argument that the question amounted to an unconstitutional taking of property.

Two days later, the U.S. Supreme Court handed Coakley another defeat. That court unanimously ruled the state’s 2007 abortion buffer zone law violated the U.S. Constitution.

The twin defeats shine a light on the peculiar challenges attorneys general in Massachusetts face when they decide, as Coakley has, to run for governor.

While she seemed resigned to the court’s rejection of her ballot question ruling, Coakley sounded more defiant on the buffer zone decision, vowing to work with lawmakers to protect patients entering clinics from harassment.